The preset invention relates to a system for delivering solar power to a load. In particular, the present invention relates to a solar power management system for interfacing a rechargeable battery to a plurality of photovoltaic cell panels.
The conventional solar power management system consists of a plurality of photovoltaic cell panels, a combiner box for interconnecting the photovoltaic cell panels, and a charge controller box connected to the combiner box for controlling the current delivered by the photovoltaic cell panels to a rechargeable battery. Typically, the combiner box and charge controller are used to interface the photovoltaic cell panels with a lead-acid battery or other rechargeable battery, although other loads are also possible.
Although the conventional solar power management system is satisfactory for charging a rechargeable battery over several hours, care must be taken to ensure that the photovoltaic cell panels are connected to the combiner box with the correct polarity to prevent one of the panels from negating the power delivered from the other panels. Also, a short in any of the panels can short out the remaining photovoltaic cell panels. Therefore, there remains a need for a solar power management system which prevents current from being delivered to the load when one of the photovoltaic cell panels fails or is connected with the incorrect polarity.
According to the invention, there is provided a solar power management system and a solar power cell manager which addresses at least one deficiency of the prior art.
The solar power management system, according to the present invention, includes a plurality of photovoltaic cell panels, and a solar power cell manager coupled to the photovoltaic cell panels. The solar power cell manager includes an input stage for combining current draws from the photovoltaic cells, and a load manager in communication with the input stage for managing the combined current draw.
The solar power cell manager, according to the present invention, includes an input stage for interfacing with a plurality of photovoltaic cell panels, and a load manager in communication with the input stage for controlling current flow between the photovoltaic cell panels and a load.
In the preferred implementation, the solar power cell manager includes a housing, and an input stage and a load manager disposed within the housing. The input stage electrically isolates the photovoltaic cell panels from one another so that operation of the photovoltaic cell panels will not be detrimentally affected if one of the photovoltaic cell panels develops a short or is connected to the solar power cell manager with the incorrect polarity. In addition, the input stage includes a plurality of indicator lamps, each associated with a respective photovoltaic cell panel, to provide a visual indication of whether the associated photovoltaic cell panel is connected to the solar power cell manager with the correct polarity.